I'm going to apply at most hiring departments in the chicagoland area during and upon completion of graduation/internship, but in the mean time i'd like to expand my horizons look at departments in California. As far as applying out of state(across the country) is there any easier/cheaper way than flying out there multiple times just to potentially get on a list ? California has many more opportunities as far as the amount of LE jobs available now, would living out there make more sense ?

This goes out to anyone who has applied out of state or knows anything about it. 

Any and all advice is welcome

You might try lapd.org/lawenforcementjobs. It shows a list of agencies and opportunities in southern California. Best of luck to you.